The Kingdom of God and Kingdom Building | Lecture 8 : BC215-KOG&KB-20260904

So you're not audible. >> Yeah, sorry. Yeah, welcome back. Um, any questions? Yes, go ahead. >> Uh, Pasha, how do we remain faithful when a present season seems completely unrelated? >> Sorry, I didn't hear that. >> How do we remain faithful? Okay. >> When a present season seems uh completely different. >> Ah how do we remain faithful when our current season is uh completely different? Right? Keep your eye on the vision on the end goal. Don't keep your eye on what you're doing right now. What's the end goal? Now you may be sweeping cleaning this Bible college. You've come here to become pastor. You're carrying food and putting it here. You're doing all these small menial tasks. Don't look at this what you're doing right now. Look at the vision ahead. This what I'm doing is preparing me spiritually, mentally, physically for the vision that God has for me. So always keep your eye on the end end result. Now it's not only for vision. Small things. You take a guitar, you want to learn the guitar. Don't say, "Oh, uh, I can't learn. I don't know. Two months over, I don't know." In your mind's eye, you should see yourself on the stage playing the guitar. Then you'll be able to do it. You're not looking at your present situation. Oh, I learned only one song. It's been two years. I've learned only three songs. Then you'll be discouraged sometimes. End result. One day I will be on the stage. God will put me there to preach and to lead worship and to do what God wants me to do. Now I'm here. So always fix your eyes on the end vision, the goal for anything, right? Anything in your life. You want to learn an instrument, you want to learn photography, you want to be uh you want to, you know, uh uh maybe do anything what God has called you to do, right? Look at the end result. You that's that's the power of vision. You look at the end result. Hey, now I know it's like this one day. It will be it will happen. I don't know how. I don't know when. I don't know who's going to help me. I don't know what are the people, what are the situations. But now this my preparation time. One day example you're learning a sport. When you're learning initially, is it going to be easy? No. One day I want to represent you know maybe your city, your state, your nation. So you put the end result in your mind. You want to learn swimming. You don't know how to swim. The moment you you something that you should do is you may have fear of the swimming pool. You've never gone into the swimming pool your life. It's cold. But the first thing I do is I tell myself one day I'll be swimming there on that doing laps. But now what am I doing? Still struggling to get into the pool. But the vision is one day it will happen. Now if I look at my current situation maybe I'm not a good swimmer. I'm learning but one day what people are doing you know professional or whatever people are doing for 3 4 years I will do that. So that's the power of vision. Anyone get it right? End result. Okay. Any other questions? No questions. Okay, let's go and let's look at preparation time. Okay, we're going to go by this very quick because by now you should be knowing this. Joseph, let's read Psalms 105 17-22. Go ahead, read it. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with feather feathers. He was laid in irons until the time that his word came to pass. The word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him. The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom. >> Okay, let's quickly look at the timeline. We're going to look at timelines of these people. Okay, Joseph was about 17 years old. Now, before that, he got a dream. His brothers are bowing down to him. Now he went and happily told his brothers. Big mistake. Anyways, he was too young, immature. He went and told his brothers. But look at what happens. When he was 17 years old, he, you know, he had that coat of many colors and he goes and tells his brothers, "Look at this." They get feel jealous. We know the story. Joseph was about 17 years old when he was s sold as a slave. He was 30 when he was brought out of prison and made overseer of all of Egypt. 17 and he was 30. This means he spent a total of 13 years in Egypt, 11 years in Porter's house and then two years in prison. After serving faithfully for another 9 years, Joseph was 39 years old when he got to see his brothers. Okay? So he was probably 41 when his brothers came to see him the second time with their father Jacob. And when the dream was fulfilled, everyone, you understanding this? Joseph got the dream when he was a kid. my brothers will bow down to me. But what happened in between that? Joseph was sold as a slave by his own brothers. He was in a foreign land. He was in prison in Porter's palace. But in every place he served faithfully. That was the mark of greatness inside of him. In every place he served faithfully. Imagine being falsely accused and put into prison. He could have said, "God, what are you doing for not enough? I've been sold as a slave by my brothers and then this and this continuously. Why are you letting?" He never did that. He served faithfully. God, you put me here in Portifer's house. I'll serve faithfully. Beautiful. Then we see that so it took approximately 30 years from the time he had the dream to the time the dream was fulfilled. 30 years of waiting. He spent the remaining 70 years doing what God wanted him to do and died at 110 years old. But Joseph, this happened when he was 40 years old. But continuing in that vision is equally important. From 40 he went on the next 30 years. 30 years later test serving second in command in Egypt. It was not like Joseph said, "Okay, my work is done. My brothers came. They bowed down to me. The dream is fulfilled. Everything's over." No, he continued to do continued to serve in Egypt. continued for the next uh 40 years, right? And when he was uh so altogether for about uh 70 years, he did what God wanted him to do. Powerful, right? But here's the thing. Was there preparation? Yes. Sold as a slave, gone to Piper's house. There in Piper's house, he again he worked there, served there faithfully, falsely accused, put into prison. But God was with Joseph the season just in a moment he was in the prison in a moment 5 minutes of conversation next thing he's second in command here's the point God when the when God wants to take you to the chairos moment nobody can stop it God can send somebody and say take this person put him and give him the opportunity and that person has to do it because it's God who is doing it. Think of it. The Pharaoh had a dream. Nobody can interpret the dream. In comes Joseph, right? I know somebody who knows how to, you know, interpret dreams. Joseph comes and interprets the dream. Pharaoh says, "Now, who's as wise as this fellow?" Nobody. You be second in command. In a moment, but so many years of waiting, in a moment, he became second in command. But that was not the fulfillment of the dream yet. There was an elevation but then there was waiting again there. He had to do the work prepare. He had to use his mind. All of that was there. But then when his brothers came and and we get that beautiful verse what you meant for what the enemy meant for evil, God meant it for good. You brothers, you meant it for evil for me but God meant it for good. Right? So beautiful it is. Then look at Moses. We talked about Moses, right? 40 years. He he knew uh what he was. He knew his purpose but he made a mistake. He tried to accomplish it through his own methods. He ran away. Right? Sometimes when we try to attempt everything on our own methods, we may fail. Yes, God gives us a strategy. We have to do it. But look at Moses. He tried to do it with his strength. History says that he was a valiant leader who won many wars for Egypt. So he thought, "Okay, let's fight this." But he made a mistake. So don't always depend on your ability to fulfill the vision. Moses had to run away, right? He delayed the thing by 40 years. So he spent the next 40 years in the wilderness simply because he had to wait for that king to die. And then when he was 80, Moses had the encounter of the burning bush. For the next 40 years, he carried out the purpose of God. I was reading a book yesterday. Powerful, something very powerful I read and it just gave me shivers down my spine. It was so beautiful. Something that always bothered me every time is why did God tell I tear up because it's just so beautiful. Why did God tell Moses you don't enter the promised land? Isn't that unfair? Right? He said to Moses, Mo Moses did everything. But what did God tell Moses? You stand in the rivers of Kadesh and you look at your people go into the promised land. You are not going in. It bothered me from the time I was a believer. Why would God do that? It doesn't make sense. It's one mistake. It's okay. As if nobody else has made He's done such a powerful work. Moses, why did you do that? Doesn't Did it bother you? It bothered me. It always bothered me. That's the one thing if I I I always thought to myself, if I meet the Lord, I'll ask him, "Why did you not let Moses in?" He could have at least gone and stayed a couple of days and then died. But he didn't let him in. Fast forward, Jesus is on the Mount of Olives and the disciples are there. Who does God choose? the same mountain. This time Moses and Elijah comes down and this time it was as if God is saying, "Listen, I've got something better for you. Instead of going in with these Israelites, I'll send you with my own son." And he came on the same mountain. And we see the story. Their clothes were glistening white. And Peter said, "Let's not go down. I put three tents. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. It was as if a mother was saying to the son, you're punished and today you're going to go to sleep early. Only thing the mother delays the food for 3 or 4 hours. It was beautiful. Moses missed out on the promised land. This time God is saying, "Listen, I'll give you something better, better than that." And it was so beautiful when I read it. It just overwhelmed me. Sometimes we don't understand what God is doing. But he has the perfect picture, right? He's standing there next to our risen Lord, next to the Lord Jesus. Glorified Jesus. [clears throat] It was even more meaningful for Moses than the whole experience of right. Beautiful. So Moses when he was 40 80 God still chose him commissioned him said go and bring the people out of Egypt right but look at the excuse that Moses used have you ever thought of this he says I cannot speak Moses himself wrote the New Testament or Exodus what does he say he was eloquent in speech that means he was a great eloquent in speech now 40 years later he's saying I don't I don't know how to speak. Sometimes our excuses can stop God from working in our lives. I don't like excuses. I don't know why. I don't like excuses. Uh [clears throat] we got to, you know, do things what God has called us to do, right? There has to be a sacrifice. There has to be a push. God. If we want to make an impact for God's kingdom, there has to be something, we have to come out of excuses and do what God wants us to do. Look at Moses. You know, I'm sure God's anger burned up. But he said, "Okay, at least Aaron is there. Take Aaron." He didn't say Aaron will do all the work. No, he said Moses, you are going to do the work. Aaron is just going to speak. I've chosen you. Right? It's strange that God chooses a middle child. Moses or Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, middle child. So anyways, we see that for Moses, God, you know, God didn't look at his mistake and, you know, write him off. He never writes us off. If he's put the vision in your heart, you will make mistakes. He will still use you to fulfill that vision. Next, look at the life of David. Anointed king as a teenage boy, probably around 13 years old. He had his initial training as a uh uh looking after his father's sheep. Uh he killed the lion and the bear with his own hand. He played music whenever Saul needed. He had his initial success with David and Goliath with Goliath and which was probably about 17 years of age. But Saul turns against him. Imagine David saying, "Hold on a minute. I helped you by killing Goliath the Philistine. Everyone are singing songs about me. You should be happy. No, what am I doing? I'm just helping you." But Saul turns heel against him, tries to kill him. For the next several years, uh, David is running. He's living as a vagabond. He's in caves. Think of this. David, the king of Israel, the future king, he knows front of all his brothers. He's anointed the king of Israel and now he's hiding in caves. God Saul is after my life. I don't know when, where he's going to attack me. One against the army of Israel. What is going to happen to me though? Did you forget that you anointed me as a king of Israel? God is saying, "No, no, no. I've not forgotten you. I know what I'm doing. What would you and I do? Think of it. Think you're in a cave. God has already anointed you as king. You know you're going to be the future king of Israel. You know it because the prophet has already said it, right? You know it. But you're now hiding in caves, God, in the dark looking where where Saul will come. Doesn't make sense, God. Why? But that vagabond as a vagabond that running away from Saul was again a training period for David. Some of the most beautiful psalms came out from that period. Oh my soul, why are you downcast? I will lift up my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of the heavens and the earth. He shall not suffer my foot to be moved. Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is my keeper. The Lord is my shade upon my right hand. The sun shall not smite me by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve my soul. The Lord shall preserve me as I go and as I come out from this time forth, even forever more. Beautiful psalms where hiding in the cave, writing, God, I know you've anointed me, king, but I don't like this at all. And what happened? He's hiding. But to encourage him, God does something so beautiful. Imagine one morning he comes out of the cave. 400 men are coming. We're searching for David. Why? No, we want to follow David. Why you want to follow me? I'm only a person running away from Saul. But you look what's happening. God sent 400 people, go be with David. Because he's saying, I'm alone. You're not alone. 400 soldiers in one day. 400. It became 400 people followed David. Imagine how David would have felt. Ah, now I'm not alone. At least I have some people with me. So God does that so beautifully. Right? In that season of preparation, you'll know his hand is upon you when he allows certain things to happen in your life. Maybe you're saying, "God, one day I'll be a worship leader. Somebody may gift you a guitar." You know it's God. You know it's God. God, I want to be a photographer. Somebody may God may provide for you or he may send somebody to gift you. Get you a camera. Don't take that camera, put it in a box and say, "God, thank you for the vision." Yes or no? What should I do? What should we do? we should use it. 400 men came. God is encouraging David. So when God is giving you things to fulfill your vision, don't take it and keep it. Be a good steward of it. Use it well. So look at David. He had his own preparation time. He ran away. He was about 23 years old eventually. Then he became the king of Judah and ruled for 7 years, 6 months. And then when he was 30 years old, he finally became the king of Israel and Judah. And look at this. David had 17 years of preparation. Saul commissioned about the age of se 13. 17 years later he was 30 years old when he became the king of Israel and Judah. 17 years. What did he learn in that 70 years? Many things. He learned so much that the next about 45 years probably u it's he went on to be the king of Israel. He made blueprints for the next temple to be built which Solomon took over. [snorts] But you see he fulfilled his purpose. I'm sure he would have looked back and said, "Oh, I remember those caves. I remember running away from Saul. But now he's the king. It took a season. It took some time of preparation, right? Look at Paul the apostle about 33 years old on the road to Damascus trained under the Pharisee Giel. He has this great revelation of God. Immediately he goes to Jerusalem. Then he goes to Arabia. So for 3 years he's in Arabia. Then he comes back to Jerusalem for 15 days. And then they lower him in a basket. He runs away because they wanted to kill him. So three years in Arabia, he comes back to Jerusalem. He stays in Jerusalem for 15 days and then he runs away for the next 13 odd years. 13 years he was in Tarsus and Syria and Sicilia. So 13 + 3 is 16. Then Barnabas goes to Antioch, finds Saul. They they're in Antioch for a year. Then they come to Jerusalem. When they come to Jerusalem, they start off on the next missionary journey. So that's another year. So 17 years Paul waited to start what God wanted him to start. Right? These this 13 years is referred to as his silent years. Um it was about 17 years after the encounter with the Lord that Paul stepped into his apostolic ministry. Everyone you're looking at what's happening here. Every person they had a different kind of preparation. None of them are similar. Now God may take you through a preparation which is not similar to somebody else. I think the the the the greatest thief of [snorts] growth is comparison. The moment you compare yourself with others gone. You'll never grow. There's healthy competition which is okay but not comparison. Never compare your training period or your preparation time to somebody else's. Never compare your waiting time to somebody else. God, how come he waits 2 years and he's already started church and you're making me wait? It's 5 years over. Why? Why? What's the difference? I know more than him. I can do better than him. God is saying it's not that. Let your preparation time, let your kyros time come. Until then, do it. Do what I'm telling you to do. Even if it's small, do it. [snorts] Right? Never compare your preparation to somebody else's preparation. Okay? Let me look at Jeremiah as well. Was given a prophetic call even before he was born. God told him to not to allow people to tell him he was too young. Like they say that Jeremiah was waited [snorts] for at least 16 years from the time of his visitation in chapter 1 to his prophetic utterance. So again, these are historically proven timelines. So from the time God told him, listen, you're young. Don't say you're young. I'm going to use you as a prophet. To the time he began prophesying was 16 years. Right? So what's the point in all of this? God has a time. Waiting time very important. Waiting time does not mean we are sitting idle. Waiting and being idle are two different things. Waiting time is a time to press in. It's a time of preparation. It's a time of ups and downs. There is a time of seasons. It's a time of learning, maturing in the things of God. That is why I'm so I keep telling each one of you, yes or no, right? Read the word, understand things, know the basic elementary stuff in God's word, be on time, be punctual, right? Don't be Why do I say all of this? I I don't have to, but why do I say it? Because this is your preparation time. What you do now is what you'll do later. Right? If you're if you waste your preparation time, God is not going to bring the kairos time immediat time is not yet come for this person. I need to wait for some more time. Whose fault is it? It's not God's fault. Right. It's it's our he can't put you into pastoral ministry when he's not fulfilled the chyros time in your the the Kronos time in your life if I've not prepared by reading and preparing and spending time in God's presence. How can I expect and say God give me the kyros time? God is saying, "I would love to give you your kyros time, but you haven't done what I've asked you to do in the Kronos time." Is it making sense? Right? I want you to prepare, read, eliminate things in your life, right? Give a, you know, stop with all these distractions, focus on what I want you to do. There will come a time when you step into your chyros that you will know okay you'll have these other benefits that are there but now struggle it's okay go through those hard times nothing wrong with it for two years in Bible college I didn't use a phone was it difficult very difficult everyone were using a phone I used to ask my classmates give me the phone I have to call my brother tell him to come pick me up my brother asked me where's your phone I said I flushed it. I threw it away. So, yeah, one sec. So, every time I should call uh my parents would call the my friends numbers and then they'll say, "Can I speak to Paul?" They bought me a phone second year. Please use a phone. I said, "I don't want why." I knew this is my Kronos. I don't care who's going to call me, who I don't care about all that. This is the time for preparation. If I want to see myself, I have a big vision. Oh, stand in the pulpit and preach. If I don't do anything about it, it'll never happen. I have to sacrifice. I have to do it. You know, when we were in the hostel at 5 a.m., no, at 4:00 a.m. I remember there's a house and there's a house next to the hostel. One lady early morning she starts ringing the bell 4:00, right? doing her worship and all of that something in my heart said the first thing that the first person who should be praised in the morning is Jesus set the alarm 3:00 I had four people in my room 3:00 alarm so alarm is ringing 3:00 that lady's praying at 4 I need to pray 3 to 4 so that Jesus is glorified first then all of those other stuff so three that's how the habit came it was actually a competition for that. The habit came because of that, right? 3:00 a.m. 3:00 a.m. get up for prayer. I didn't want her to be so I will purposely go out to the vir and start praying in tongues. She's ringing the bell and looking everywhere. You ring the bell. I want So what's the point? I knew that if I have to do something, I have to press him. It's not going to happen automatically. Yes or no? Right? So in our journey of this preparation process, each season it's a good season. Enjoy it. Enjoy your season. Don't forget to enter. Don't say, "Oh, God is a hard taskmaster. He's only bringing problems in the problems." Thank God these people didn't have the Holy Spirit with them. We have the Holy Spirit with us. Moses, Joseph, they didn't have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came ministered to them and went to we have the Holy Spirit every moment. Such a benefit for us, right? So I don't really want to encourage you this Bible college time. No, give it your best that when you look back and you say, I thank God I used it fruitfully. Okay. Next, the unfolding of a God-given vision may differ from our expectation. We may expect things to go smoothly and it's good when things go smoothly. But what if it doesn't? Happens differently. Joseph never imagined he'll get sold as a slave. You never imagined that he'll be a prisoner. Never imagined it. When he's wearing that coat of many colors, do you think he imagined he'll be a slave in prison? Never imagined him. Moses never imagined. I thought I'll help these people. They wanted to murder me and now I'm running away. He never imagined it. So do not let these let go of the even sorry do not let go even if the journey towards the fulfillment is difficult and different from what you expected and longer than you thought it would take take place. Stay the course. See the vision fulfilled. Everyone says stay the course means it's going to be difficult. They're going to be ups and downs. You stay the course, right? do not in the first you know you know why visions and you know things are a a god-given vision or a or a vision from our own is given up at the first obstacle if it's our own something of our own no we give up in the first obstacle but if it's a vision from God no matter how many obstacles you'll be willing to pursue In this world, nobody wants to wait. We don't like to wait. The moment you decide that you want to pray, you want to seek God, you want to, you know, use your preparation time fruitfully, the enemy will do everything he can to stop you. He'll come all guns blazing. He's not afraid of you going to church on Sunday. He's not bothered about it. He's worried when you kneel down in prayer and he says, "Oh, this guy is taking something serious. I need to stop him." Don't let the enemy stop you from preparing during your preparation time. Okay. Sometimes what the enemy does is he'll remove that burden from our heart. He'll try to remove it. The moment he remove he tries to remove a burden, he knows a person without a burden can do nothing for God's kingdom. It's a burden and that vision that keeps people going. Sometimes he'll make you feel that you have no vision in life. You're doing nothing. There's no progress. He makes you feel these things. Don't go by your feeling. You tell the enemy, "Hey, this is what God has told me. I'm going to do what God has told me. I'll keep doing this. My preparation time." Satan, you don't know what God is doing. You're laughing at me because I'm in prison and I'm uh serving in Porter's house, but you don't know what God has in store next. Maybe there's a dream that I have to, you know, interpret and that'll take me to a higher place. Right? So, don't be explaining to the enemy what you're doing. You do what you have to do. Push, pursue, right? Pause. At times, all the devil wants to do is get the fight out of you. and he wants to kill it so that you know you won't wake up in prayer, you won't kneel in prayer before God, you won't read the word. He wants to get the fight out of you. That is why Paul writes and he says fight the good fight of faith. That's all he wants to do. You fight it. He's he's given us the strength. He's given us the ability. Right? So, one of the reasons I'm I keep telling you is because you're young. When you become 50 years old, I don't expect you to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and pray. When you become 60, you can't. Your body is not able to do these things. You can't fast 30 days that time, right? Do as much as you can when you are young. So, as you grow older, your body can't take certain things. You'll need to have 8 hours of sleep. If you're getting 8 hours of sleep, please pray to God and say, "Change me." I know I'm stern. If you're in your early 20s getting 8 hours of sleep, please. Okay, I don't want to go there. The chyros moment for a god-given vision gets delayed when attentive thyself, right? Uh again, we talked about that, right? But listen, here's the thing. God can put us back on track, right? When we acknowledge our mistake, mistakes, seek forgiveness, um he will override our mistakes. He's greater than our mistakes. There is no situation that is too complex for God that he cannot resolve. Now, when he called Moses the second time, he didn't say, "Oh, Moses, no. 40 years is gone. No, what do I do now? No. What to do?" Was that his response? He knew exactly. Moses, get ready. You go and tell Pharaoh, let my people go. This you should have done 40 years back. I know you made a mistake. You know, forget that mistake. You're 80 now. No problem. Leave it. My strength will go with you. My vision, the vision that you have in your heart. I know it's not burnt out. I know you're going to go. I know you're going to do it. But God, I made a mistake. No, 40 years back I killed that slave. Forget about all of that. That's all over. Go on. Look ahead. Think of Peter in the New Testament. God, Lord, I will never deny you. The he denies him. The crows three times. He says, imagine how he would have felt. Then he sees the resurrected Lord and he's ashamed and he says, I don't I don't have any words. I what do I say? Sorry. Can I say sorry to you Jesus? You were there with me for three and a half years. You told me everything you told me I will deny. Still I denied sorry is I I can put myself in Peter's place. Maybe I was like okay Jesus is there. He would have been far away sitting but he would have been in awe of Jesus. What did I do? I denied him. But look at Jesus reinstates him. says, "Peter, you're looking at that denial that happened that time. Forget it. It happened that time. You were under pressure. All of that. Leave it. I'm not even looking back. I'm looking ahead. Do you love me?" Yes, Lord. Do you love me? Yes, Lord. Do you really love me? Yes. You know it more than I. You know that I would deny you. So, you know that I love you also. He says then get up go and feed my sheep. Then there was a different Peter altogether there. He was no more official man. He was a bold man. Right? God can is above our mistakes. When we make sometimes we make mistakes from one pit to another. Avoid it. Learn from your mistakes. Don't jump from one pit and say, "God, I'm I'm I'll try it out again." And then there's another pit there. Oh, God, I've fallen into another pit. God will say, "That's the point of the first pit. You come out of it. Don't jump into another pit." Right? Learn from your mistakes. And Peter learned. Remember Peter and John go to pray. He said, "Listen, you stop preaching about this Jesus guy. What does Peter say? See, you say what you want to say. We will continue to preach. Same Peter. You may say, "Don't preach, but there's no way we will stop preaching. You crucify me. You burn me. You put me in hot oil. You throw me out. You do what you want. I will not stop preaching Jesus. I will still preach Jesus." Why? I denied him once. I learned from my mistakes. I'm never going to do it again. Mistakes makes us stronger. Right? Don't be afraid to make mistakes. In pastoral ministry, I've made plenty of mistakes. Today also, I've made mistakes. Yes or no? Right? You learn from those mistakes. Next point, a God-given vision will face demonic opposition. Everyone underline that. A God-given vision will face demonic opposition. the enemy. Look at the story of Nehemiah, right? Where people rebelled. Look at this. But when Sunbala the Horonite, Tobaya, the Ammonite, and Gisham the Arab heard of it, they laughed and despised. What is this thing that they are doing? Will you rebel against the king? So I answered them and said, "The God of heaven himself will prosper us." Right? So therefore, arise and build. Let me tell you this. [snorts] When you decide to arise and build, the enemy will send people who will tell you, tell them to break and demolish. You say, "I want to arise and build." The enemy will have people sending you to break and demolish. There will be demonic oppositions. Remember, if you are working for God's kingdom, there are demonic oppositions can come as distractions. They can come as diversions, right? A small diversion can create a huge gap. If you're going on a long drive and this has happened many times think of this you know uh many time before we used to travel Bangalore mango we used to drive a lot right you know when you're going from Bangalore to Mangalore there's a small intersection very small intersection if you miss that you'll end up going to a totally different city and then you go in front there's a small left turn you can't make which says Mangalore and there's a small right turn which says Bombay. Now if you take a left you'll end up in Mangalore. You take a right you'll end up in Bombay. Small gap two different totally different things. Diversions are like that. If you're not careful, diversions can just take you away, disalign you from what God is calling you to do. Right? So, be careful of that. Then demonic oppositions, oppositions can come as dispute, fights within the family, arguments, right? You have a big vision in your heart, but there's constant disputes. Friends, between friends, between families, neighbors, things that people who didn't want to fight with you want to fight with you. People who don't like fights are like like to fight now. All kinds of things are happening just to get you to feel weak and weary. Now, what should you do? Guard yourself. Guard yourself. Tell yourself, I'm not going to allow this to uh overpower me. Then demonic uh opposition can come as discouragement. Sometimes we face discouragement. We feel like giving up. Sometimes even our own fellow workers can discourage us. Our own family can discourage us. Our own friends can discourage us. Right? Listen, God is on your side. God will empower you for that vision. Sometimes you'll have to walk alone to fulfill. Nobody was there with Joseph. Did he have friends with him? Did Moses have friends with him? Maybe the sheep were his friends. No one else alone. Right? So sometimes people can be a source of discouragement. But remember God is on your side. He will empower you. Let's look at this last point and we'll stop. A God-given vision is always bigger than the individual. When you look at a god-given vision bigger than the individual in the sense you may feel I don't have the capacity I don't have the gifts the skill and the ability to fulfill such a big vision but here's the point whenever God gives us a vision most often it's bigger than us meaning we can't do it in our own ability If we can do it in our own ability, it doesn't become a God-given vision. Right? Nemiah carried out this vision. He said, "Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem." He talked about it. He he he kept it burning in his heart. Right? So, a God-given vision is bigger than the individual. In the book of Acts, we see we read about Paul's co-workers. Paul himself lists many people who are his co-workers. his fellow prisoners, partners, uh fellow laborers, fellow servants like Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Luke, Timothy, all of these people and they journeyed with Paul to fulfill the vision that God had for them. The problem with us is that we do not permit other people to step into the vision God has placed in our hearts. Now, that can be dangerous. God has placed a vision in your heart. Remember, he can send people. you can send the right people to help you fulfill that vision. David was all alone. God sent 400 people. Now all of a sudden he had 400 people under him. Later on we see that that same 400 people became commanders in his army. David never forgot them. Don't forget the people who have invested in your life during your preparation time. People have invested in your life. Even now when I when I especially for for me as a pastor when I look at when I sit with the pastors and I talk to them it's humbling for me. I was sitting there as a student now being counted someone worthy to sit with them and talk to them. I never forget the seeds that they have sown in my life. Right. Honor them, respect them, right? Uh and those are people who have invested into your life. God will send people who will invest in your life. And as you journey along, be grateful to them. Once you reach the position that God wants you to reach, don't forget them. Right? Don't forget Ananas went and prayed for Paul. Paul may have never forgotten that. Right? So we'll stop here and then from next class can you mark it please? We'll start from other people find and fulfill their lives calling and we'll begin from there. All right next class what we'll do is we'll begin with a few questions if there are and u then we'll pick up from here. All right. Thank you everyone. Have a great weekend. See you next week.